Professor John Robertson OBA
The Herald, once again yesterday, embracing one of the very same trade unions which their corporate-owners insisted that they regularly demonise and mis-represent in earlier times. Now, of course, those same unions are useful in undermining the SNP in government.
In the days before the growth of the SNP and the independence movement, corporate media hacks would have been very quick to inform their readers that fewer firefighters are now needed as fires reduce in number and that taxpayers cannot be expected to pay for them to sit around all day.
Here’s the kind of evidence they once loved but now hide from you.
From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: August 2025, published today:
Number of fires fell 10% in the last year. In 2023-24, there were 24,060 fires in Scotland, down 10% on 2022-23 and the lowest in the last ten years. There were 42 fire fatalities in 2023-24, down from 43 in 2022-23 and around the average for the last decade.
Longer term, has the number of fires increased or decreased?
Domestic fires have plummeted by 50%in the last 2 years.
Non-domestic fires fell 34.7% in last 10 years.
Staffing trend?
An 18-20% staffing reduction set against a 50% reduction in domestic fires and a 35% reduction in non-domestic fires suggests a clear business case for fewer firefighters and one that the Herald would not have hesitated to make before 2007.
Here’s the Herald in 2003
Delegates of the Fire Brigades Union voted overwhelmingly to reject the offer to end their long-running dispute – probably leaving more members of the public feeling that the union wants to have its cake and eat it, too. Like the nurses (who nonetheless earn less), firefighters deserve more; not the 40% claim they submitted all those months ago, or a substantial deal of any kind that is not conditional on the adoption of flexible working and staffing arrangements. The FBU wisely decided yesterday not to strike before war with Iraq ends. Even then, if there is still no deal and more strike days are called, the FBU risks losing even more public support. The public will not want to see troops, who have been away from their families fighting a war, returning home to find leave cancelled or restricted so that Green Goddesses can be manned. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11903322.fire-fighters-should-settle-nurses-show-the-way-ahead-in-the-public-sector/
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Does The Herald employ the same number of staff as it did 20 years ago when circulation was many times higher ( and quality immeasurably better ) ? Did it reduce staff numbers commensurate with its new status ? Yes ?
So , if a business decision was acceptable to The Herald why does it question the same decision-making in The Fire and Rescue business ?
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One of the great mantras of the Tories and the business community is ‘driving down costs to increase profitability’. In most businesses, the main ‘cost’ is the remuneration of employees, so to ‘drive down’ costs employee pay is where it happens, mainly. Employee numbers are cut, their wages are not kept in line with inflation, hours of working are reduced, tasks are ‘outsourced’, so-called ‘perks’ are removed, security of employment is weakened.
Note that these things are always expressed in euphemistic language to obscure the nasty reality.
This disorganized government has actually challenged that with the employment act that has just become law. But, its fear of the media and Reform is so strong that it does not trumpet this rebalancing of powers between employers and employees.
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I would think the Scottish Government’s requirements for fitting smoke alarms has had an impact in the reduction of house fires.
“Scotland has some of the strictest domestic fire safety laws in the UK—all designed to protect households from the devastating impact of fires”. Doubt the Herald will praise that.
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When Glasgow was ‘tinderbox city’ (as the media loved to call it), almost all dwellings were heated by coal and used gas flames for cooking. Population density in Glasgow was (and still is) high and many tenement blocks were overcrowded. Drunkenness was much more common than now and led to carelessness.
Most housing nowadays has more controlled heating and cooking. Building controls mean new builds are less susceptible to ignition and, if they do, compartmentalization means fires tend to be contained and spread less. In addition, there are smoke detectors and, often, sprinkler systems (except in Glasgow School of Art!)
So, firefighting is deployed less often. However, with climate change wildfires in forest and moorland are increasing in incidence and these require different strategies to urban fires
With larger and more complex buildings, getting people out when there is an emergency is the priority and then the problem is tackled. Much of the rescue function relates to road traffic accidents, but there are other areas where rescue is importance. RNLI and Mountain Rescue have for decades done sterling work. Increasing leisure leads to more hazardous activities, such as caving and paragliding, which require rescuing at times. While these bodies liaise with Fire and Rescue and the Armed Forces, perhaps there is a case for reviewing the rescue function holistically.
Reducing the number of firefighters is reasonable since urban fires are less common, but, as I have indicated I think we need to look at the rescue and prevention services.
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increase additional rescue services, yes, but stay away from the fire service. It ain’t broke so don’t “fix it”. You’d soon appreciate your fire and rescue service if you or yours were trapped in a burning building, a cinema perhaps, or a shopping mall.
John Lawson
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HERALD IS AN OUT AN OUT CORRUPT RAG
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